Around Our Network / July 30, 2014

 

What’s been happening among us? July 30, 2014  

 

We worshiped God and made new friends at our PMs

At Broad & Washington -- We’re considering our Second Acts. How is the Spirit moving us into what’s next? What old ways of being and behaviors are we leaving behind? Dan McGowan and his team reminded us to hold on to each other as we hold on to our Heavenly Friend, using 90s hits, Puritan classics, and Circle of Hope originals. Rod encouraged us to stride right into our second act with Mary Magdalene whose story has been much maligned by history (particularly the patriarchy). She is the apostle to the apostles and to us. Listen to BW’s public meeting here.

At Frankford & Norris -- Stephen began the night getting us to sit with the section of Psalm 16 that Peter proclaimed to the crowds in Acts 2. We pondered the wildflowers, microbes, and weeds as we worshiped together. Jonny led a team that revamped an older tune, and got us praying with Christian Peacemaker Teams in Gaza. We talked through our conviction “We are called out to be a living organism, building community together through love." Listen to FN’s public meeting here.

At Marlton & Crescent -- Rob got us engaged with a full and creative team (Jamie Wasson joined for the first time and was awesome!). Jen helped us pray for suffering children in Gaza by reflecting on Handala and asking us to draw children as an act of prayer. CJ Reynolds spoke, the first time he’s done so in his 15 years as a part of Circle of Hope! On the 12th anniversary of his covenant with Circle of Hope, he spoke about Covenanting and Spiritual Growth. He told us how his commitment to covenant (and the covenant’s commitment to him) has carried him through some recent turmoil and he did a masterful job of storytelling (and healing).

At Broad & Dauphin -- We were wrestling with being grounded with God and being doubtful in the worship that Andrew Yang and his team led us in. We oscillated between songs of both “flavors,” and it was distinct and notable. Sarah Good helped us consider the saints from Down Under, in Australia and Oceania. Jonny answered, “What do I do when my faith doesn’t make sense?” Listen to BD’s public meeting here.

The pastors kept experimenting with the videocast, this time: “Someone Asked: Do I have to make peace to follow Jesus?”

It’s been three weeks now! What do you think of the videocast? Will you post your pastor with your thoughts? This week’s question is: "Do I have to make peace to follow Jesus?" Find it on our YouTube channel, here.

We shared in the struggle against evil when we gathered for baptisms and our Love Feast!

Our quarterly Love Feast is a great time for celebration, solidarity, and worship. Marlton and Crescent hosted us this past Saturday and we welcomed sixteen new covenant members and baptized six others! Awesome. 

We kept praying with Jesus in the Epistles

For the next few weeks the "voice" at Circle of Hope Daily Prayer will lead us to see Jesus in each of the New Testament letters, one a day. How about considering a summer season of study and prayer? cohdailyprayer2014.wordpress.com. On our blog Celebrating the Transhistorical Body, we didn't have a new post - but perhaps it's a good time to look back at the past few weeks. 

The Audio Art Team released Patiently Impatient in print!

Our second full-length album of original and transcultural worship music is finally in print! Get the CDs at the PM spaces. 

Rachel, Jen, and Jonathan’s Coordinating Groups met

Our monthly cell leaders gather in their Coordinating Groups (they are like cells for cell leaders) to pray, share, and strategize together. They are special times that add to the many disciplines of our leaders. Three groups met this week.

Broad & Dauphin hosted an About Circle of Hope dinner!

Lots of people gathered at Sarah Good’s house to learn about Circle of Hope. Our Network is fascinating and we have a great story to share. It was all accentuated by Sarah’s miso, carrot, and ginger soup. 

Our blogs were great places of sharing and thinking...

Rod offered his thoughts on the lack of difference between private and public--one of the many gems to come out of his doctoral studies. Jonny protested essentializing the Brethren in Christ’s core values and shared why not all violence is equal, specifically in Palestine.

Around Our Network / July 23, 2014

 

 

What’s been happening in the Network? July 23, 2014

We worshiped God and made new friends at our Public Meetings

At Broad & Washington -- Moses Ashaba taught us a song in his Ugandan dialect that means "Jesus gives rest” and Jerome Stafford gave us inspiration from Paul’s missionary adventures. Katniss Everdeen reminded us that sharing your heart can be costly, and we prayed for brothers and sisters in Detroit who are without water. Listen to BW’s public meeting here.

At Frankford & Norris -- Greg & Vanessa got us into Psalm 19 in great ways - both a new song (totally excellent) and composing some of our own Psalms in the same form. We spent a lot of time in prayer - both personal and all together. Gerald got us to pray for literacy in Haiti (where he did a lot of work on this issue before fleeing to Phila) and Vanessa led us to pray for his political asylum next Wed - which could reunite him with his wife and sons. We also explored our conviction “We expect people to express their gifts, talents, art, and worship” - including stories and key insights. Listen to FN’s public meeting here.

At Marlton & Crescent -- The Design Team literally had us bringing grace and experience into an unknown situation in order to make goodness out of what we’ve been given. We worshiped through conversation and cake baking (without recipes)! Such an inspiring time (and some of the cakes were amazing)! The whole night was a risk and Nate led us to think about risk, spiritual growth, and the factors that make it possible: the use of memory, the experience of community, and the exercise of perseverance.

At Broad & Dauphin -- Nate Wissler brought Bruce Springsteen to our PMs as we worshiped with North American Christians. It was fun! We thought about Christians across the nation and region, and considered how to include the best parts of their worship into our public meeting. “Should I vote?” was the FAQ we were working with and what followed was a stimulating discussion. Listen to BD’s public meeting here.

The pastors tried made a fun second videocast, “Someone Asked: Is it OK to not like Paul?”

Everyone has a lot of good questions! The pastors are always in conversation about theology, sociology, politics, science, psychology, and a host of other things. So they want to engage others in some good thinking and teaching to help people grow and to stimulate our mission. Maybe you’ll find their responses to “Is it OK to not like Paul?” interesting. It is homemade, just like Circle of Hope. Find it on our YouTube channel, here.

Over 40 of us gathered as the Council at the Imaginarium

Broad & Dauphin hosted this month’s Leadership Team meeting and Imaginarium. The Imaginarium is our monthly gathering of the Council and this month we gathered to discuss our Map and Budget. We brainstormed new ideas and awarded some great people for their work in helping us along down our paths. Rachel Sensenig for her cell multiplication, Andrew Yang for his PM leadership, Kate Nicely for her work as the MC Children Team leader, Jess Mints for communicating about compassion, and Art Bucher for sharing his wisdom as we think about theology this year.

We started praying with Jesus in the Epistles

For the next few weeks the "voice" at Circle of Hope Daily Prayer will lead us to see Jesus in each of the New Testament letters, one a day. How about considering a summer season of study and prayer? cohdailyprayer2014.wordpress.com. On our blog celebrating the transhistorical body, we didn't have a new post - but perhaps it's a good time to look back at the past few weeks.

Broad & Dauphin hosted a Baby Goods Exchange

A remarkable display of our generosity is always the result of our BGX. Saturday’s at BD was no exception. Dozens of people shared together. A beautiful sight.

Rachel, Ben, Nate, and Jonny studied BIC History in Exton

As part of their credentialing and licensing, several of our pastors traveled to Exton this week to study about BIC History and Values. We engaged in stimulating discussions about the Love Feast, peacemaking, and our history of mission.

Our blogs were great places of sharing and thinking...

Rod wrote why we cannot care about Palestine. Jonny offered a review of Justin Lee’s Torn, and his thoughts on Louie C.K. and how he used reconciliation as entertainment.

The Audio Art Team has been preparing for this weekend

Our second full-length album of original and transcultural worship music is finally in print! We will have cds (with booklets) at all the sites this weekend, for a donation of your choosing.

Kate & Matt Abraham got dozens of people together to yard sale

The first annual Kensington Community Yard Sale (#kenzoyardsale) got people from Circle of Hope and tons of neighbors to collaborate on a summertime purge. It was a great way to connect, redistribute stuff, and share some money.

Jerry and the Circle of Peacemakers have been in action

As the world watches the conflict escalating in Gaza, our [peace] listserv has been active and our team prepares for the next installment of our film series about Palestine coming up next Tues, 7pm at FN when we’ll watch Waltz with Bashir. Our call to make peace gets louder.

Check it out and all their other social media connections:
Blog: http://www.circleofpeacemakers.com/.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/circlepeaceteam.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/circleofpeacemakers

Around Our Network / July 16, 2014

What’s been happening in the Network? July 16, 2014

 

We worshiped God and made new friends at our PMs

At Broad & Washington -- Matthew’s misfitting and scandalous party (see the gospel of Matthew, chapter 9), a full and rockin' team, strife in the Liberian enclave, and a surprising number of people, were all part of the evening. The AM PM rocked the morning at Chew Playground. Listen to BW’s public meeting here.

At Frankford & Norris -- We had some spirited dialogue, aided by real time remote-controlled polling, around our conviction “Fomenting diversity & reconciliation is at the prophetic heart of our gospel.” Dan & Julius taught us a beautiful song in Mandarin that got us considering Jesus’ love permeating the universe, a new song based on Psalm 36 and a chance to pray with Flatiron Wildcats (not a sports team!) We are enjoying meeting an influx of people looking for a connection, which makes the whole meeting full of inspiring hope. Listen to FN’s public meeting here.

At Marlton & Crescent -- Lots of good things abounded at MC. We took Paul’s prayer from Romans 15 and put it into practice. Nate led us to worship with songs about overflowing hope and the filling of the Spirit, and Scott Sorrentino helped us creatively take our tears and turn them into overflowing hope as we created something with God (and made a mess of water and watercolor on the floor). Kim Hewlett shared the story of Sojourner Truth as she talked about new rhythms and spiritual growth.

At Broad & Dauphin -- God is moving at Broad & Dauphin. We were encouraged as we worshiped with Southeast and East Asia this week. Luke taught us about the Japanese concept of space known as “ma.” Justin and his team led us to worship--traversing all sorts of emotions as we related to God in a variety of ways. Jonny answered the question, What if I'm too depressed or anxious to be in a cell? The talkback was particularly rich, as people shared very personal things. Listen to BD’s public meeting here.

The pastors made a fun first videocast, Someone Asked: “Why is the church so stupid?"

Everyone has a lot of good questions! The pastors are always in conversation about theology, sociology, politics, science, psychology, and host of other things. So they want to engage others in some good thinking and teaching to help people grow and to stimulate our mission. Maybe you’ll find their response to “why is the church so stupid?” interesting. It is home-made, just like Circle of Hope. Find it on our youtube channel, here.

Marlton & Crescent hosted cell leaders and Ben White trained them

On Saturday, Ben White led the cell leaders to ponder how we lead people to Christ. Stories abounded and Ben taught us to be bold. Newest cell leader Ra Mendoza won the book The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith by Janet O. Hagberg and Robert Guelich.

Vanessa Caruso led a crew of people in the “Get a renter into MC” charge

Marlton & Crescent needs to get some of their space rented. Amongst other things, they have a great plan to turn their garage spaces into artist studio space. After the monthly cell leader training, Vanessa (who leads the Church Planting Core) gathered a group of people to pass out fliers at a local art festival. They met a lot of people and got the word out. What a great team!

We sent a delegation to the Brethren in Christ General Conference in Lancaster

Every two years, our extended church family gathers to dialogue, worship, and pray together. Over the weekend, BIC churches from all over the country (and others parts of the world) descended on Lancaster, PA where we engaged in four days of discussion, discernment, and decision-making. We were well-represented and our reputation for honesty, dialogue, compassion, and for making a safe space, went ahead of us!

Jerome Stafford inaugurated a new blog for the Circle of Peacemakers

Check it out and all their other social media connections:

Blog: http://www.circleofpeacemakers.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/circlepeaceteam

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/circleofpeacemakers

A new Audio Art choir started practicing

Cameron DeWhitt and Joseph Mahoney are spearheading our ever-refining efforts to develop our artistry and offer worship resources. It is a talented (and loud, when they need to be) group.

We started praying with voices from Australia and Oceania @ Circle of Hope Daily Prayer

In honor of Pentecost and the movement started in that one room in Jerusalem, we are remembering all of the places that the Spirit has moved across the world. Look forward to hearing from voices both past and present on our blog: cohdailyprayer2014.wordpress.com. And on our blog celebrating the transhistorical body, July 11 was Benedict of Nursia day.

Our blogs were great places of sharing and thinking...

Rod wrote about the movement of the Spirit in the Kingdom of God as he reflected on the BIC general conference and “the state." Jonny offered a review of Frank Viola’s Pagan Christianity (the author actually commented on it!), and his thoughts on the BIC General Conference. Rachel wrote about four Brethren in Christ distinctives that she doesn’t want to lose.

Around Our Network / July 10th, 2014

This note is about how God has been moving in our Network. It doesn’t include all of the things that are happening, but hopefully it is a good compilation.

What’s been happening in the Network? July 10, 2014

We worshiped God and made new friends at our PMs

At Broad & Washington -- The whole evening was centred around questions -- the ones God asks of us and the ones we ask of God, or just ask. We had an interesting time for an AMA. Rod opened the floor to “ask me anything.” Listen to BW’s public meeting here.

At Frankford & Norris -- Cameron & Tiffany got us to exercise our honesty, in the spirit of Psalm 112., including a new jam. We spent time with our conviction “Sharing our resources brings freedom and unleashes power” and prayed with our Debt Annihilation Team. Diana & Jess told stories about a forming group of people who meet with full financial transparency to help one another’s financial actions match their values. Listen to FN’s public meeting here.

At Marlton & Crescent -- The entire evening came together beautifully as we were led by several people to ponder the barriers that prevent us from staying close with Jesus. Rob Lairmore and Jen Hulfish helped get us into a good space for reception and change. Part of Nate’s speech centered on a small idea from the book Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard. People have been talking about it all week!

At Broad & Dauphin -- Andrew Yang, one of our Design Team leaders, led us masterfully. Sarah Good drew us closer to the Christians on the Indian Subcontinent as we tried a short time of guided meditation. For the first time, we had an time for open prayer. It was amazing to hear an entire room utter “Lord, hear our prayer.” Finally, after Jonny gave a speech about village parenting, a rich and diverse discussion followed during talkback. Listen to BD’s public meeting here.

Marlton & Crescent was bustling with prospective covenant makers

On Monday, Marlton & Crescent hosted the quarterly About Making A Covenant meeting. We had time for dialogue in large and small groups as we considered what it means to make a public commitment with Circle of Hope.

Ben brought the Summer Tour to the Parkway

While many in Philadelphia were at the Parkway on July 4 to see Nicki Minaj and the Roots, BW’s Development Pastor Ben was representing us there. He passed out hundreds of flyers, which isn’t so easy to do, to folks hoping to help someone connect with our expression of the Body of Christ.

Luke put all of talks from the PMs into one consolidated podcast

After being charged by the Church Planting Core Team to figure out a way to put the talks given on Sundays online, Luke has created a podcast consolidating all of them. You can subscribe via iTunes or the regular stream.

The Broad & Dauphin Coordinators met, prayed and thought together

The Coordinators of each congregation meet monthly. This past week Jen Danforth and Jonathan Ziegler met and prayed for Broad & Dauphin, the Network, and our cells. Jonny joins them.

The Frankford & Norris PM Design Team leaders met

Each month, the leaders of our four Design Teams (musical leaders & art directions) meet up for encouragement, development, and planning.

We started praying with voices from Subsarahan Africa @ Circle of Hope Daily Prayer

In honor of Pentecost and the movement started in that one room in Jerusalem, we are remembering all of the places that the Spirit has moved across the world. Look forward to hearing from voices both past and present on our blog: cohdailyprayer2014.wordpress.com. On our blog celebrating the transhistorical body, July 6 was Jan Hus day.

Our blogs were great places of sharing and thinking...

Rod wrote about the importance of finding our spiritual resources, in a world that overemphasizes individuality and a reaction toward community, instead of reliance on God. Jonny wrote, albiet tentatively, about what he loves about the U.S.; he also protested the redemptive violence that Orange Is The New Black teaches. Rachel declared how and why she is grateful for Anabaptists.

Around Our Network / July 3, 2014

What’s been happening among us? July 3, 2014

We worshiped God, told the truth, and made new friends at our PMs

At the Broad & Washington meetings -- We considered Second Acts in the Old Testament and pondered our own, as well as how Scarlett O’Hara just couldn’t get into hers (no matter how long Gone with the Wind is!). Ra, Rod, Rachel, and Sarah tried a brand-new team with an acoustic style for leading us in worship and prayer. There was a spirit of healing, and people have been talking about how God is moving us. Listen to BW’s public meeting here.

At the Frankford & Norris meetings -- Dan Snook got us organized for our first Public Meeting outside in the “Positive Space.” Gail, Nicole, Charles, Becca, and Rob especially helped facilitate the night, which included a potluck as the beginning of the one-meeting “5th Sunday” celebration. Brooke Hoffman facilitated a panel discussion on mentoring & being mentored as applying our proverb “Dialogue keeps us connected and protects our gravity.” One of her former students came by, serendipitously, and participated in the rest of the meeting. Sara Keel, Leann Gorman, and Michael Heneghan also shared stories of mentorship as Dan led an open time of worship. Listen to FN’s public meeting here.

At the Marlton & Crescent meeting -- There was such creative engagement at the MC public meeting, it's hard to describe! Our new design team (Sara, Adam, Matthew, Brit, Kathy) got us engaged with the Wendell Berry poem and song: When I Rise. We told stories of rising and falling, meditated in silence, and were led to create origami birds and leaves representing our stories and meditations which we hung throughout the room. Scott Sorrentino drew from his years of deep experience to talk about prayer and spiritual maturity. Some of us adventured out into a public space during the time when our other congregations have their 7:00 public meeting... We used the time to meet new people and deepen relationships as we try to connect the next 50 people to our meeting (or maybe even start a second PM!).

At the Broad & Dauphin meetings -- Aaron Foltz spoke at our public meeting. The question he was answering: “Why do we sing on Sunday nights?” Megan Jackson took over for Nate Wissler and led us adeptly. It’s not always easy to lead, pray, and talk in front of everyone, but she did a great job. Beth moved us as we considered Latin America and the oppression the region faces, by and large, because of U.S. policies. Listen to BD’s public meeting here.

Dozens traveled to Wild Goose to lead hundreds in worship

Wild Goose is a Christian festival in North Carolina. Many people from among Circle of Hope traveled down to the festival to lead people in worship. Joshua reports that many people were moved by their leadership, and that it is also a great time to retell our story and get inspired again.

Our Coordinating Groups met and inspired one another

This time of month is when many of Coordinating Groups meet. They are like cells for our cell leaders. Their purpose is mainly mutual support, accountability, and encouragement.

We host three substance abuse 12-step groups each week

If you or someone you know needs these groups, please get connected. Alcoholics Anonymous -- Sunday, 9:30am and Wednesday, 7:30pm, both at Frankford and Norris. Narcotics Anonymous – Friday, 11pm at Broad and Washington.

We host two playgroups for babies and toddlers

They are both from 10-12am on Fridays at Broad and Washington and Frankford and Norris. Along with just being fun, these are great ways to meet new people and include them in our life together.

The Pastors enjoyed their monthly “all-Pastors” meeting

“All-Pastors” means Rachel Sensenig, the Administrative Pastor, and Ben White, the Development Pastor, are also invited. This was a remarkable meeting because it looked into 2015. We are beginning to imagine how we can loosen up new territory for church planting and mission-focused leadership.

We started praying with voices from South, Southeast and East Asia @ Circle of Hope Daily Prayer

In honor of Pentecost and the movement started in that one room in Jerusalem, we are remembering all of the places that the Spirit has moved across the world. We have been hearing from voices both past and present on our blog: cohdailyprayer2014.wordpress.com.

Our blogs were great places of sharing and thinking...

Rod distilled some important thoughts from Jim Collins’ book Good to Great, especially regarding getting the right people on the bus, so to speak. Jonny shared some church planting lessons from planting his lawn, and was inspired to write about worship and speech-making after the PM Plan Refresh.